Everglades Fishing

We are coming into the one of the best time of year for fishing in the Florida Everglades. In September the big pilchards start showing up and are the prime bait that we like to use . Snook is one of our favorite fish we like to target this time of year and love to eat live Pilchards with the water still warm they like to hang around the outside points on a rising tide and are usually on the bite Snook can average all different sizes this time of year they can range anywhere from 20 inches to 38 inches . Another great fish we love to hunt for this time of year are Redfish . Redfish love to school up around the oyster bars and along the beach fronts . Some favorite baits Redfish like to eat a this time a year are a live shrimp under a popping cork or a fresh cut ladyfish . When you locate school of redfish you can be into some great action for hours on end. For some fast action this time of year we like to drift the grass flats and fish for Trout . Trout love to school up in 3 to 5 ft of water, one of the most productive way we like to fish for trout is to bounce a riptide jig slowly along the bottom or to use a live pilchard under a popping cork the Trout we usually catch this time of year can average between 2 – 5 lbs t . The Pompano and mackerel fishing starts to also heat up in September and can be found over the grass flat mixed in with the Trout.  September is truly great time to fish in the Florida Everglades so if you would like to book a trip please give me a call and thanks for visiting my website.

I am offering $50 off any 6 hour trip for September if you call to book a trip before September 15th.

When you think of fishing in The Everglades many things come to mind, but typically not Sharks. Well, make no mistake about it… They’re here.

August 1st is the beginning of the Discovery channel’s “Shark Week”, and although we usually don’t target them I thought it would be an appropriate time to catch (and carefully release) one with my charter customers today. We landed 3, one of which was a 150 pound Bull Shark.

What you may not realize is it’s not uncommon to see a 4 or 5 foot Shark cruise past while Everglades fishing in just a few feet of water. They’re neither shy or intimidated by my boat, quite frankly they could care less about our being here. Venturing in from deeper water the Sharks are looking for distressed or wounded fish that would make an easy meal.

Robert Collins, a former Everglades Fishing Guide, and friend, recently won the IGFA Inshore Tournament of Champions for the 4th time.

Last year it was won by another long time friend, Mike Gallops, making it the 4th straight year the TOC has been won by a Naples, FL angler. Both Collins and Gallops live and go fishing here in Naples and spend a lot of time fishing the same areas of Everglades National Park that I take my customers to.

Congratulations to Robert for winning the IGFA TOC, and hats off to two great local Everglades fishermen!

June for me is one of the best months for fishing with the air temperatures reaching the 90’s and the water in the upper 80’ fishing in Everglades National Park is red hot . Today I was fishing with my long time client Jim Davison from Kansas City. Our plan was to head south, net some live pilchards and fish for Snook , Redfish, and whatever else would bite. We setup and started fishing our first spot, a long beach shoreline riddled with snags (blown down trees and branches in the water), which I call “Snook hotels”. Well, within just a few minutes we scored with a decent Snook that pushed 12 pounds. The action continued as long as we kept bait in the water. Every 10 minutes or so I’d throw a handful of pilchards out to concentrate the fish and keep them in a feeding frenzy. One of the things my fishing clients always are amazed at is how large the fish are in the shallow waters of The Everglades. Often, you actually see the fish approach and take your bait! It’s always been one of the best parts of Everglades fishing.

We continued with our game plan and stopped at an old submerged mangrove tree in about 3 ft of water. More times than not, for whatever reason, it usually holds some nice size TripleTail. After a few cast and no luck with live bait we switch to a Rootbeer Riptide Jig that attracted the attention of a Triple Tail (see photo).

Remember, to get the most out of your Everglades fishing charters during the summer months, book them for the early morning. That’s when the fish are actively feeding, and you’ll also beat the afternoon heat.

Lots of bait translates into red hot Everglades fishing. Schools of Pilchards, one of the finest baits for everything that swims here, have moved into the area. I’ve been starting the day by throwing my cast net to load up the baitwell, which pretty much guarantees non-stop action for the day. My favorite technique is to position the boat about 30 feet from one of my secret spots and throw out a few “freebie” baits just to get the fish excited. After that it’s just a matter of adding a fishing hook and line to the baits as we throw them in.

On the falling tide today the Snook were averaging in the 28 to 34 inch range, along with a mix of slot-sized Redfish. After the tide started back in we moved out to the grass flats, and still using the Pilchards, caught some decent sized trout.

This week the weather in Everglades City has been perfect… Hot and very little wind so we’ve also been able to run offshore about 2 miles to the inshore wrecks to target Permit. We landed one that tipped the scales at 27 lbs using a live blue crab for bait.

During the Summer months the best fishing action will be had earlier in the day. So give me a call and lets join the fish for breakfast!

Thanks for checking out my Fishing The Everglades website.
Captain Glenn